December 20th
by KnowledgeandImagination
Summary: The people from Rukongai hardly ever know their real birthdays. They can only trust the words of another. So how did he decide that his birthday would be this day? A small hitsuhina birthday oneshot!


Hi all! Since it's Shirou-chan's birthday today, I've decided to post a special oneshot to celebrated! And as I'm a hitsuhina fan, it's a hitsuhina oneshot! I know somethings may sound like Ginran, but I couldn't resist the idea! Oh, but I'm spoiling. You'll see! Please enjoy!

I just finished watching the Diamond Dust Rebellion again. I want to cry...I do wish Momo could have had more of a role. It make me want to rewrite it...Anyhow, on with the story!

Note: takes place after Winter War.

* * *

**December 20**

That day had come again. Few ever questioned the tenth division captain as to whether or not that was his real birthday. Most just took it for granted. After all, it made sense for one as cold as he to be born in the winter.

The tenth division captain, however, had very different reasons.

He chose it as his birthday, because _she _had decided it.

It was a very normal day, but the air had a slightly chill in it that hadn't been there before. The small, white-haired boy's eyes twitched as the morning light pushed against his eyelids. He tried to fight against waking up, but all his efforts were dashed as a sudden cheerful yell cut into the silence.

"Happy birthday Shirou-chan!"

Growling quietly, his eyes snapped open, and his cold eyes glared at the chocolate-haired girl. "What's your problem, Hinamori? And don't call me that!"

Momo was completely oblivious to his cold attitude. She just tossed a bundle at him. "Just take it! Oh, by the way, meet me at the tenth division training barracks this evening! I know that no matter how hard I try I won't be able to stop you from working during the day no matter what day it is, so you can at least take the evening off right?"

Toushirou grumbled and sat up in bed. He was about to deny her, but as soon as he looked into her pleading eyes, he found that the words had died in his throat. "N- okay, fine."

A radiant smile lit up Momo's soft features. She hopped up and dashed out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "Okay, see you! Oh, and wear your present!"

"Wear?" Toushirou repeated. He looked down at the bundle that Momo had thrown at him. It was wrapped in silver and blue paper, with the words "Happy Birthday Shirou-chan" written on it in Momo's neat script. "She never changes," he said exasperatedly, but a small smile forced its way upon his lips. He opened the package.

A long, blue-green scarf knitted carefully of soft, thin wool fell onto his lap. His eyes widened as it fell upon the delicate snowflakes embroidered along the length. A small coiling dragon was embroidered at the ends. "Momo…"

* * *

He remembered when the question of his birthday first came up. It was Momo's birthday, the first one Toushirou ever witnessed. Momo was smiling the biggest smile he'd ever seen, even when he gave her only a small piece of blue cloth and hair ribbon he'd gotten for her at the last moment at the market. Her smile never dimmed, and only grew wider, even when he'd explained that he didn't know that it was her birthday and he was supposed to give her something.

"It doesn't matter, Shirou-chan! Just the fact that you did get me something mean's a lot to me!" she examined the cloth in the light, smiling. "I like it. The colour reminds me of you, Shirou-chan."

Toushirou just shrugged. They were quiet for a moment, when Momo suddenly spoke again. "Hey, Shirou-chan, when's your birthday?"

Toushirou's eyes grew distant. "Who knows? I don't know what a birthday is. I didn't even know it existed until this morning."

Momo's smile faded slightly. "Awww! That's sad!"

"How's it sad?" Toushirou demanded.

"Well, I think a birthday is something that makes everyone happy!"

Toushirou just stretched back unworriedly. "So then, what _is_ a birthday?"

The small girl thought seriously about the question for a few moments. "Hmm, I'd say it's the day you were born. For us, we don't really know, but I guess that it's the first day that you were alive…like, when you had your first encounter with the world…"

Toushirou just grunted, uninterested, but Momo was determined to get something out of him. "Fine then, Shirou-chan, what's the first memory you have?"

Toushirou was silent for a moment. "Cold. The first memory I have is cold, and having ice and snow pressing against me. The first thing I ever remember seeing is the sky, and snow. Not much to tell me anything."

"Well," she said slowly, thinking. "What was the first time you knew you were alive?"

"Momo, this is Soul Society. We're not _alive._"

Momo stuck out her tongue. "You know what I mean. Just answer the question!"

The boy shrugged. "When you pulled me out of the snow the day we met," he mumbled, suddenly turning away to hide the blush that had crept upon his cheeks against his will.

Momo nodded slowly, remembering. It was around sixth months ago, and the first snow of the season. She'd gone out to play, when she'd found the small, odd white-haired boy half buried in the snow. Frantic, she'd quickly pulled him out and, despite his protests, brought him to her granny, with whom they both lived now.

"Well then, I've decided! You're birthday will be December 20th!"

Toushirou's head snapped to her. "What?"

She grinned at his confused turquoise eyes. They looked just as they did when she'd first seen them. "December 20th! That's the day we met, and the day you said you first felt alive! So I've decided that will be your birthday!"

She looked overly excited, and Toushirou scowled at her cheer. "How do you know it was December the 20th?"

This time, it was Momo's turn to blush. "I-I just do! C'mon, Shirou-chan! Let's go find Ayumi-chan and Tatsukichi-kun!"

* * *

Toushirou had spent the day dodging his lieutenant, who kept trying to hug him happy birthday in front of everyone, and Ukitake, who seemed always ready with a new stack of candies. He stayed in for most of the day in the office, where no one else was near, and placed a kidou on the door to lock Matsumoto out. He, as Momo had anticipated, did paperwork for most of the morning, and spent the afternoon training in a secluded area (after locking Matsumoto _in _the office)

He was returning to office now, his mind on a million different things, so he had forgotten that he'd locked Matsumoto in the office. That is, until he opened the door, had one moment's glance into the room, and Matsumoto's desk, piled with a neat stack of paperwork, before his face was shoved into her lieutenant's chest and two arms crushed to his sides. "Taichou! You're so cruel to me! Can't a dutiful and hardworking vice-captain wish her captain a happy birthday?"

"You're anything but hardworking, Matsumoto. Now let me go," Toushirou snapped with as much dignity and coldness as he could muster in his current predicament.

Matsumoto let her small captain go, pouting. "Aww, how can you say that? After all, I've just done both of our paperwork!"

The captain raised a delicate brow skeptically. He walked to his desk. To his surprise, all his paperwork was indeed finished, and stacked into a neat pile. The same held true to Matsumoto's. He just stared in shock.

Matsumoto smirked. "I thought that since it was your birthday, I might as well," she answered his unspoken question. "Consider it a present. This way, you can spend all the time you want with Hinamori-chan in peace!"

Toushirou's head jerked toward her. "How did you know about that?"

"The power of sensitive hearing," Matsumoto said, tossing something at him. His hand reflexively rose to catch the soft cloth. It was the scarf Momo had given him.

"Really? I'd call it eavesdropping," Toushirou said, scowling. Matsumoto just smiled softly.

"The war's finally over, and she's still struggling, but finally moving on. I thought you'd like to spend some time with her, and catch up on all the times you've missed over the last few months, no, last few years. I thought you'd both like that."

Toushirou's mouth opened, but no words came out. It wasn't often that his lieutenant was serious like this, but when she was, he had to appreciate her a lot more. "Thank you, Matsumoto."

The other just grinned. "Go on, taichou! You're keeping Hinamori-chan waiting in the cold!"

* * *

He remembered her first present to him. It was a hand-knitted scarf like the one he wore now. It was much less skilled, and filled with clumsy stitches. But he'd kept it with him all these years. Even after he'd stopped wearing it, he'd kept it. She had not given him such a present since. Not until now. He wondered if she had just wanted him to notice how much she'd improved.

The scarf was warm, but not uncomfortably so, just like Toushirou liked it. Momo had done her work well.

When he arrived, he found the training barracks deserted, but he could feel Momo's reiatsu, and knew exactly where to look.

One, two leaps landed him softly upon the quiet rooftop. Unlike the last time he'd been here, during his previous birthday, there was a soft layer of snow, save for a large, dry area that had obviously been cleared away with kidou. And unlike last time, he was alone with her. There was no Aizen, and no Matsumoto. Only him, and Momo.

Momo turned as she felt his reiatsu. A large smile lit up her features. He noticed immediately that she was wearing a matching scarf, with small peaches embroidered at the sides and a branch of blooming plum blossom at the ends. "Shirou-chan! You're here! How do you like your present?"

"It's nice," he said awkwardly, but Momo, knowing him so well, could tell that he loved it.

"Good. I spent a lot of time on it."

"Time you should have used for training, no doubt," Toushirou teased. Momo pouted playfully. "That's not true!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

He plopped down on the roof beside her. Momo shivered slightly and shifted closer to his warmth. He felt his heart pound slightly from her close proximity.

"The war with Aizen is finally over," Momo said, a small smile on her face. Toushirou gave her a sideways look. She was staring off into space, a wistful expression on her delicate face. "I'm glad…"

"Hinamori…" Toushirou said, noting that she now addressed him without the honorific easily.

"Don't worry, Shirou-chan. I'm over him. He's my past. I'll prove it to you somehow, sometime…"

Toushirou just nodded. He raised his head as fireworks began to go off. They trailed beautiful patterns in the sky, and burst into dazzling bursts of light, reflecting off the delicately falling snow. "What the…?"

Momo grinned at him. "Rangiku-san planned it. She wanted you to have "new memories" associated with fireworks and your birthday."

Toushirou didn't answer, touched by his lieutenant's thoughtfulness. They watched the fireworks in silence for a few moments. "Shirou-chan, there's something I've always wondered," Momo suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Well, why did you say that you felt alive when you first met me?"

Toushirou looked away again, as he'd done the day when Momo first asked this. "Well…you're the first person I met. Feeling snow and ice, it doesn't tell me anything. Meeting you, being able to speak to you, and feeling your warmth…it was the first thing that proved that I wasn't just snow and ice as well, for at the time, I didn't even feel the cold, you know, so you hadn't needed to freak out," he turned toward her, eyes glinting. Momo blushed. "You first proved that I was _alive._"

Momo felt touched by his words. "Shirou-chan…"

"There's something I want to know as well," Toushirou now said, leaning back and staring at the sky which was alighted with a stream of sparkling blue sparks that obviously represented snow. "How did you know that the day we met was December the twentieth?"

Momo looked away this time. She didn't answer for a moment, wondering how to articulate her thoughts. "I…I can never forget the day I met you…" she murmured.

"Oh?" Toushirou raised one eyebrow, questioning. Momo nodded, her eyes glazed over, as though seeing into the past. "Meeting you changed my life." Sensing Toushirou's skeptical gaze, she continued. "I've always been cheerful and innocent, I've been told. Much too innocent. You were someone opposite of me, someone who thought completely in a realistic and down-to-earth way, rather than my idealistic thoughts. You were sort of like…a perfect person for me. And you may not know it, but I think we both influenced each other with out reiatsus as well, which let us all get to where we are right now."

"So?" Toushirou said. "That's not such a good reason."

"Don't make me say it, Shirou-chan!" Momo whined, punching his shoulder playfully. Toushirou growled in fake annoyance at the nickname. "No, I want to know."

Momo shook her head, trying to avoid the intense eyes that were demanding an answer. Unfortunately for her, they were irresistibly compelling, and she couldn't successfully avoid them for long. "I… it's because I… I think that from the first time I've met you… I've… I've…" and suddenly, without warning, she suddenly burst into sobs. Toushirou's eyes widened in shock and confusion as her head fell upon his shoulders, and her form shook. "Hinamori?"

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-kun! I don't deserve to say it! All this time, you've done so much for me, and watched out for me, but what did I do to repay you? By believing that… that evil traitor over you! I've only hurt you. You don't know how much it hurt when I read that letter. And it hurt even more to point a sword at you. It tore me apart. And the war, seeing you fight… it scared me to death! Yet I couldn't do anything to help. You've only ever become hurt because of me."

Her hands clenched around his white captain's haori. "I've only caused you pain. I don't deserve to say it."

"Say what?" Toushirou asked, distressed. "Momo, tell me!"

The use of her first name sent a jolt through the young girl. She froze, and slowly raised her head. Her eyes were glistening, and her cheeks shone with tears. "Oh, Shirou-chan. I've betrayed you, and betrayed myself. I went against my own heart. After all the pain I've caused, how can I possibly burden you more?"

"Momo-"

"How can I tell you that ever since we were children, that ever since we first met, I've always loved you? I've been misled and manipulated by Aizen. He meant the world to me. But always, deep in my heart, you've meant _more _than all the universe to me. That's why I can put Aizen behind me. Even if I've been an idiot, and messed everything up, that still remains true…I love you, Toushirou. But you must hate me for everything I did, so I'm sorry. I'm sorry to be a burden, I'm sorry I brought you here tonight, and I'm sorry I love you. Can you possibly forgive me?"

There was silence. Toushirou had frozen, his eyes wide with shock, fixed on Momo's. Then his head lowered, and a shadow crossed his face. "No, I can't forgive you," he said emotionlessly.

Momo took a sharp intake of breath. She'd expected this, but it still felt as if her heart had just been shattered into a thousand pieces. She struggled to hold back sobs, and said, "I see…"

"Baka. I can't forgive you, because there's nothing to forgive! Sheesh, Momo. I told you that already."

Momo's head snapped up. Her breath caught in her throat, and she scarcely dared believe her ears. "Hitsugaya-kun? You…you mean you don't hate me?"

"What do you think? Why do you think I always protect you? It's because you're the first person to accept me. Why do you think I'm here? Because I wanted to make sure you're okay after everything. I wanted to make sure you were happy."

His head rose, and Momo was shocked to see a smile, a true smile, one that wasn't a smirk, but lit up all his features in an indescribable way, upon his face. "Why do you think that you are the reason that I first felt alive? You may be sorry, but I'm not. All this time, I've always loved you, bed-wetter Momo."

Momo's eyes went wide; so wide they looked too big for her face. "Shirou-chan…?"

"Before I met you, I only knew the feel of cold and ice. You were the first breath of warmth, of life, in me. I love you, Momo."

There was a silence, during which the two gazed, unmoving, at each other. Then, Momo's eyes brimmed with tears again, yet a radiant smile broke upon her face. It was dazzling to Toushirou, more dazzling than any of the fireworks that were still going off, like the sun had just risen from the horizon at dawn. "Toushirou…"

And just as the grand finale of the firework display burst with an explosion of colour and light over the heads of the two, Momo leant forward and Toushirou pulled her into his arms. Their lips met in a long and sweet kiss. Their arms wove around each other, and they embraced so tightly and closely no force of any sort could have separated them.

Finally, the two pulled apart. But they remained in each other's arms, relishing in the closeness and warmth. "Thank you, Shirou-chan…"

"No problem, bed-wetter," Toushirou smirked. Momo pouted playfully. "And thanks."

Momo looked questioningly at him. He looked up at the sky and falling snow, eyes lost to faraway images of the past. "Thanks for pulling me from the snow that day. Thank you for giving me my birthday. And thank you for tonight. This was the best present I've ever had."

Momo smiled, and joined him in his reminisce.

"You're welcome. Happy birthday, Toushirou."

The snow fell, just as it had the day they first met, and now again, as they truly found each other again.

If anyone ever asked, Hitsugaya Toushirou would always say that his birthday was December the twentieth. The reason was that it was the day that he'd met her, the day he'd felt alive, and the day he fell in love.

* * *

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Hitusgaya-taichou/Hitsugaya-kun/Toushirou-kun/Toushirou/Shirou-chan!!!! *Takes a deep breath* HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!

…and many more!

Hope you liked it! I had fun writing it, and we all want to celebrate Shiro-chan's birthday, right? I hope it wasn't too bad, and the ending wasn't too cheesy. I'm so bad at endings.. Review if you'd like to wish Shirou-chan a happy birthday, and celebrate with me!


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